Bethel Search and Rescue is urging travelers to be careful and stay on used trails as they continue to search for an individual who went missing between Oscarville and Napaskiak late on Nov. 15.
The missing man, who has not been named publicly, reportedly drove a four-wheeler into an open hole on the river while traveling between Bethel and Napaskiak on Nov. 15.
Another man, who was traveling on a different four-wheeler behind the missing man, reported seeing ATV tracks going into a hole in the river, and said that he could see a four-wheeler underwater in the open hole.
A search and rescue volunteer from Napaskiak traveled to the area the following day and also said that they saw tracks leading to open water.
As of the evening of Nov. 17, Bethel Search and Rescue posted on social media that its members were primarily using electronic methods like underwater cameras and sonar devices to search for the missing man because of concerns for searcher safety if they were to venture out onto new, thin ice.
Last year, this sonar search method helped recover the body of 20-year-old Michael Isaac, a Marshall man who went missing in November 2023.
This is a developing story and may be updated with additional information.
